Trustee's Tiff Is On Parade In Westmont

What started as an evening of marching bands and clowns turned political when protesters demonstrated alongside a city float at the recent Westmont Summerfest Nighttime Parade.

Now, a village trustee has charged a former mayor with battery, and claims others in the crowd pelted his 10-year-old son with suckers and small Tootsie Rolls.

"It's a shame that politics are this way," said Trustee Patricia Kebenow, who witnessed the incident. "It had to be one of the best parades I've ever seen Westmont have, and it's a shame that it had to be disgraced."

The annual parade was running smoothly Saturday as it turned the corner at West Traube and Cass Avenues, but by Chicago Avenue, a simmering Village Board battle boiled over with former mayor Frank Bellerive, his wife, and two children protesting the float carrying Trustee James Lenihan.

Earlier this month, Lenihan asked the board to remove current Mayor William Rahn, sparking a heated debate. Lenihan has charged that Rahn circumvented board policy by hiring an Oakbrook Terrace law firm for village legal work. The trustee also has asked the FBI to investigate what he says are ongoing problems among village management.

At a meeting last week, Lenihan prevented Bellerive from speaking by invoking village rules of order, angering the former mayor.

So on Saturday night, Bellerive protested Lenihan as he passed by on the float, the former mayor yelling anti-Lenihan slogans into a megaphone and carrying signs denouncing the trustee.

"Mr. Bellerive was right on top of me," Lenihan said. "This should never have occurred at a public event. I intend to hold everyone accountable."

Lenihan said Bellerive put the megaphone close to his ear while shouting into it, and claims he has since had trouble hearing. The trustee said he will go to an audiologist this week to see if he suffered permanent hearing loss. Lenihan also claims that some suckers and Tootsie Rolls village officials were handing out to children instead got into the hands of adult crowd members, who threw them at his son and a friend. Neither of the boys was injured.

Police Chief Jerry Zywczyk said he received Lenihan's complaint and his office is investigating the incident. If police find misconduct, Zywczyk said he will consult with the state's attorney's office to see if Bellerive could be charged criminally or in civil court.

Bellerive said he protested against Lenihan at the parade because he was frustrated after not being allowed to speak at the Village Board meeting.

The former mayor said he brought placards calling Lenihan bad for Westmont and "a jerk," but denied being disruptive or abusive.

"I know it was in bad taste, but what other recourse did I have other than to wait nine months and go to the polls with it?" he said. "I've watched all kinds of good and bad come and go, and this guy is bad for Westmont. I couldn't help myself. I had to let myself be heard."

Bellerive, who has served in village public office for almost 40 years, said he protested because he loves Westmont.

"I got a good reaction," he said. "Ninety percent of the people were giving me thumbs up because they knew what was going on. I got a few complaints, but not very many."

While some spectators said they were upset with the protest, others who watched the parade said they were fine with it.

"This is a very political town," said Don Dostal, a 55-year resident of Westmont. "That's why they call it America. It's the political process."

Lenihan and other board members begged to differ.

"I'm the guy who's trying to ensure that everybody's following the law," said Lenihan, who was elected to the board by one vote during the last election. Others were concerned about the integrity of the annual village festival.

"Unfortunately, it marred the parade," Trustee Tony Puccillo said of the protest. "It was a very good parade. That kind of incident really shouldn't have happened. But you can't tell people what to do."